Heaven's Light
by Wolfcharm
Summary: 1989 version Set in present day New York, a few years after Christine's death, a new girl arrives. A street girl whose only true dream is to become a performer. When she strikes a deal w/ the phantom what series of events will unfold? OC/Erik
1. Celeste

**A sequel to the Robert Englund version, which they should really, really, really do!**

_Set in present day New York, Christine dies of breast cancer, ironically just several months and on the same day that she "supposedly" killed Erik Destler. The female character is named Celeste, who is a poor slum girl trying to snake her way through life, but just really wants to follow her dream as a performer. When she sneaks into a theater and caught up by a sudden urge she starts to sing. A voice, seeming to come from nowhere, tells her how great her voice is, but how much it could improve. She takes up the offer of him becoming her voice teacher and everything unravels from there..._

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Heaven's Light

I walked down the sidewalk with the most grudging, sour face you could imagine. I glared at anyone who gave me a dirty look, which was almost everyone. I didn't get how people were threatened by anyone different. And I was very different with my shoulder length straw-blond hair in mini-braids, my battered jeans and denim jacket which had a noticeable switch blade sticking out of my pocket. There was this one guy who gave me this really dirty look and I just had to flash the switch at him and he hurried along like a scared little boy.

I had to laugh, men thought they were never scared. It was the job of girls like me to pound that out of men and show them what they really should be afraid of. So you might be asking yourself, why is a young, seemingly threatening, & battered girl wandering the streets of New York City? Well, I was bored, no other explanation besides that. Besides, it was fun freaking the tourists out of there minds, by showing them the dark side of the NYC. I was just strolling down an alley through Broadway when I saw these drunkards in my way. I squared my shoulders and raised my head boldly and kept on walking. One of the guys noticed me after a few long strides. He poked one his friends and he looked up. Soon they all had seen me approaching and started to chuckle menacingly.

I shook my head, these kids were like my age for-crying-out-loud! Under-age drinking, smoking, and drugs what a beautiful world this is. And did anyone ever give a shit about it? Hell no! Let the kids kill themselves for all we care. "Hey, whaz happenin', suga?" one of the boys drawled.

"Walking," I said and pushed him aside.

The guys started to laugh. "A sweet lookin' thing like you shun' be wallkin' aroun' alone," the guy said grabbing me around the upper arm.

I glared at him as his friends started to approach me. "I just want to pass by unharmed," I growled.

He pulled me to him and I tugged gently to keep him away. "But we were just having a party an' we don 'ave a guest," he said and tugged me harder.

"Don't," I warned.

The guys chuckled and moved in. The guy gripping me decided to give up tugging and walked right up to my face. I glared fiercely and pulled out my switch and expertly sliced his arm. He yelped and jumped away from me. "I ask again let me pass and no one gets hurt," I growled turning slowly to each one of them. Their faces turned from amused to enraged. "Ya think you're gonna hurt us bitch?!" another guy snarled.

If there's one thing I've learned out of my 16 years of life in the west side it's this, drunks that are also high are stupid and dangerous. I held my switch like it was born in my hand. The boys broke their beer bottles and approached with malicious faces. One of them leaped forward and swung his bottle at my head. I easily dodged and my switch sliced his back. Another one leaped at me and I stabbed his arm held him there then sent him tumbling to his friend.

I smirked and dodged another blow to my head. I grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. "Hey idiot, I can hear you!" I yelled in his ear and sent him to join his friends who were awkwardly trying to get to their feet.

My smirk grew into a contemptuous smile. The last one looked at me as if I was something from another planet. I waggled my eyebrows at him. "Boo!"

He ran like a scared little boy, which basically was what he was. I turned to the others, the one who grabbed me looked up from below his other friends and glared menacingly. Then I raised my still blood-stained switch to my mouth and slowly licked the blade. "You're a thing from Hell!" he growled.

"And you, my friend, are Hell bound," I said.

_Wow, that sounded familiar,_I thought. I blinked a few times before returning my attention to the boys. I kneeled in front of them, making sure the grabber's eyes were level with mine. "Now when I pass through here again I'm sure that no one will get hurt, because I don't want to see your drunk & high butts around here again," I snarled.

They all gave me fearful looks and started to awkwardly and hurriedly get to their feet. The first two ran, but the grabber glared at me then slowly started to trot away. "Bitch!" he yelled over his shoulder as he picked up into a run.

I smirked and walked up the alley. Suddenly I felt something behind me. I stopped to listen for footsteps, a breath, anything. I furrowed my brow when I heard nothing. I had a trick I used on stalkers, I acted as if I was going to start walking again then at the last second stop and I'd hear a footstep behind me. I raised my foot as if taking a step then stopped. I heard it, it was almost like a small box being set down, but it was enough.

I took off at an amazing speed. I had joined Track once, probably out of survival necessity, but it still helped. I ran faster and longer than any guy who challenged me to a race and running away from the occasional stalker. Now you're probably wondering, why would a girl who just took out four guys be running from one? Well, you see, I could handle guys in my age limit, but I couldn't handle men, they were too strong and too dangerous when they were drunk, high, or both.

Soon I became tired and could still tell that the guy was still chasing me, but falling behind. I passed door after door, until I came to one that looked promising. I yanked it open and slammed it shut before putting a pole through the handlebar and jamming it in the door opening. I was breathing heavily and I was shaking from head to toe, but the door didn't show signs of struggle. No rattling, no jerking, nothing. I gave a sigh of relief.

Not wanting to go out in case he was just waiting for me to come out I decided to explore. I walked out into a narrow hallway and saw a few doors as I walked. Soon enough I came to a huge stage and my eyes widened as realized where I was. I had stumbled into the Manhattan Center. I swallowed hard, if anyone found I was here I was as good as dead. But no one was here, some idiot left the back door open, so I just walked out to the middle and looked at the many seats. I gulped.

I had a secret, I wanted to be a performer, I wanted to sing, to dance, to act like someone else so I wouldn't really be judged on who I was, but how well I played the character or how powerful my voice was. I sighed and closed my eyes. I could see it, thousands of people filling the seats, cheering, applauding, whistling, yelling "An cor!" "An cor!" I smiled and laughed. The people that had shunned me were praising me.

I opened my eyes slowly and looked up at the now dim spotlights. I imagined they were alight and their glaring light washed over me almost making me sweat. I opened my mouth and music poured out like a waterfall. "_I don't know if you can hear me or if you're even there. I don't know if you would listen to a street girl's prayer. Yes I know I'm just an outcast, I shouldn't speak to you. Still I see your face and wonder, 'weren't you once an outcast too?'"_

I sang like I was really performing in front of thousands of people. I sang as if I truly believed what I sung. "_God help the outcasts, hungry from birth. Show them the mercy they don't find on earth. God help my people, we look to you still. God help the outcasts or nobody will._" Suddenly I heard clapping. It was an odd thing, but it felt and heard like it was all around me, I couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. "Brava, brava, bravisima!" a voice said from out of nowhere.

I furiously jerked my head from side to side, searching for the source. "Who are you, where are you?!" I called. "Show yourself coward!"

I pulled out my switchblade. The voice just laughed and a cold blast of air swirled around me, making me dropping the blade and wrapping my arms around me. "What are you?" I asked in awe.

There was a deafening silence. "I am everything and nothing. I am neither spirit, nor am I flesh," the voice said.

I couldn't tell a lot from the voice, but I could tell it was definitely male. "I am the sound in your song, I am sorrow, desire and longing. I am your voice... and you are my voice," he said.

"What is your name?" I asked.

"It's been so long since I went by any name," the voice said then silence.

I waited before asking my next question. "What do you want?"

"To teach you the art of music," he said. "Your voice is beautiful, but it could use improvement, let me teach you and your voice will soar to the heavens!"

I bit my lip and thought it over. "And if I chose not to let you teach me, what then?" I asked.

The voice was silent for a while. "Then you will be as you are now, a lowly street girl, trying to swipe and sneak her way through life," the voice said.

I bit my lip harder to keep myself from blurting out petty protests. "But let me teach you and you will be the _envy_ of Broadway and you... we will make music that the world will love forever."

I bit my lip harder than I ever bit it. His offer was tempting, so very tempting. I felt this odd presence around me... no not odd, soothing, caressing, and at the same time frightening and overwhelming. I stopped biting my lip and tasted my own blood. "I'll do it, you teach me and what's in it for you?" I asked.

"Nothing you can't give to me later," the voice answered.

I sighed. "Alright," I said and started to walk back to the door.

"Meet me, in the abondened theater a few blocks off, I'll be waiting, you may come at what ever time you choose I shall be there," he said.

I gulped and finally exited the building, feeling like I just sold my soul to a psycho.\

* * *

A shadow in the rafters looked down at the girl leaving the Center. "We shall make music the world will love forever and this time I will not lose you."

**Oooo, creepy. Well if you want to find out what happens next, comment fast and furiously. ^-^**


	2. No Mistakes, Only Success

**I know, I'm sorry to keep all of you waiting. This is the second chapter. The part where Celeste questions her judgement and sanity. To answer some of your questions: No she doesn't look like Christine, as I pointed out Celeste has blonde hair, but there is a reason why the Phantom is attracted to her. If any of you have watched this version of Phantom of the Opera, maybe you'll catch on, cuz I threw in one of his lines in the first chapter. So anyway enjoy!**

* * *

I lived in a beat up part of the city. It didn't bother me much. We lived in an abandoned fire house I think, I had my own little tower, so that was cool. I'd usually pretend I was princess and that soon my prince charming would come and whisk me away to some far off land! When I say we, I mean me and my mom. My father had died from luchiema. My mom was a little eccentric, but her eccentricity helped with her job. My mom was a chef for a restraunt and sometimes had to stay late.

Fine by me, I got the house to myself. I yawned as I pulled open my bedroom door. I thought over what the voice said and I came to the conclusion that I had either dreamt the whole thing or I was going crazy. Well, I certainly wasn't dreaming, because I had spent the whole walk home trying to prove that. Crazuy, well ther e was no logicla reason why was going mad. I thought it out through my comprehension and I concluded that it was stupid, it was crazy, it was completely illogical.

Then I thought of my dad. He would say at a time like this _nothing ventured, nothing gained_ and I might gain something from this. My dad was kinda like my counselor, though he wasn't here anymore. I'd always look back on his quotes through-otu history, as i called em. I opened my window to let int he city air. I only opened it when I was either didp in though or in great distress. It was definitely deep in thought. I went to bed with a full head and an empty stomach, so sleep didn't ome until much later...

* * *

The next morning I walked down the streets of Broadway again. I found the theater without too much diffuculty, but it looked impenetrable. I found a small gap in the entrance doors and squeezed in. "Hello?" I called out.

When there was no answer I tried again. "Hello?!"

"Yes?" the voice answered.

I jumped slightly, but quickly regained my composure. "Took a while for you to answer," I said grudgingly.

"I apologize if I frightened you," he said.

"Not frightened, just surprised," I said.

I walked over to the stage and tested it's strength before stepping on, I didn't want to fall through the floor. There was an old piano to the far left of the stage. I didn't know why, but I felt that he was there. "Shall we begin?" he asked. "Do you know what a scale is?"

I nodded. "Yeah, Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do," I said.

"Good, now sing it and I'll play the notes," he instructed. "Each time I will get higher and lower so that I'll know your singing range."

We got as high as a high D and as a low as a low D. "You have good singing range, now let's see if we can improve that."

* * *

Several weeks past on like that. We did scales and warm-ups, occasionally he would teach me a new song. Each day my voice grew stronger and more alluring. Finally my chance had arrived

"Maestro!" as I had come to call him.

I climbed into the theater waving the paper above my head. "Look, look, this is it, this could be my chance!"

I felt the usual chill when the voice was near me, now probably looking at the ad. "You're not ready," he said.

"What?!" I asked outraged by his dissapproval.

"You're not ready to take on the bigtime," he said more firmly.

"What are you talking about?!" I asked.

I walked over to the piano, knowing that he was there. "We've been doing scales and new songs for weeks, each day my voice improves, I'm just as good as those showdogs who think they have it. You said a few weeks ago that I have it. I know I have it, let me do this, let me show the world what I... what we can do."

That must've struck a chord, because I heard a long, drawn-out sigh. I leaned more towards the chair. "Let me do this," I whispered.

There was silence for a long while, before I heard a deep, surrendering sight. "Very well," he said.

I breathed a sigh of relief and excitement. "Break a leg."

* * *

The next day I stood in line with a bunch of other hopeful, talented girls that were hoping for their big-break, probably knowing that they would never get it, despite talent. I did deep breathing excersises and practiced scales while I was waiting. Finally it was my turn. I gulped down the lump in my throat and took a deep breath and walked onto the stage, my vintage guitar slung over my shoulder. There were three people sitting next to the stage. One was a man with gray hair and side-burns. Two were female reletively young. "Name?" asked a man who looked like the director.

"Um, Celeste Desta," I said.

"And your selection?" asked a woman who looked like the conductor.

"I'll be singing _Girl Next Door_ by Saving Jane," I said.

I unslung my guitar and strummed a few notes before playing.

"_Small town homecoming queen. She's the star in this scene. There's no way to deny she's lovely. Perfect skin, perfect hair, perfumed hearts everywhere. Tell myself that inside she's ugly. Maybe I'm just jealous, I can't help but hate her. Secretly I wonder if my boyfriend wants to date her. _

_She is the prom queen, I'm in the marching band. She is a cheerleader, I'm sitting in the stands. She gets the top bunk, I'm sleeping on the floor. She's Miss America and I'm just the girl next door. _

_Senior class president. She must be heaven sent. She was never the last one standing. A backseat debutante, everything that you want. Never to harsh or too demanding. Maybe I'll admit it, I'm a little bitter. Everybody loves her but I just wanna hit her. _

_She is the prom queen, I'm in the marching band. She is a cheerleader, I'm sitting in the stands. She gets the top bunk, I'm sleeping on the floor. She's Miss America and I'm just the girl next door. Oh and I'm just the girl next door. _

_I don't know why I'm feeling sorry for myself, I spend all my time wishing that I was someone else. She is the prom queen, I'm in the marching band. She is a cheerleader, I'm sitting in the stands. I get a little bit, she gets a little more. She's Miss America and... she's Miss America, I'm just the girl next door._"

I strummed the last notes and then all three people stood and applauded. "Brava, brava!" the conductor shouted.

"You're moving on kid," the director said.

I smiled and bowed slightly. "Thank you," I said.

"Be here Monday morning, 8:30 sharp and we'll see what part you'll get," he said handing me a slip of paper.

"Thank you, you won't regret this I promise!" I said.

"Sweetheart, I don't regret listening to you and I definitely won't regret listening to you over and over," the director said and winked.

I sighed. "Thank you," I said again and left the theater, only to run straight toward Maestro's theater to tell him the good news.


	3. Her Chance

**Sorry people, I'm falling behind. Anyway, thrid chapter, this is where a sort of Meg and Carlotta figures come in and we finally get to see (figuretively) Eric in the flesh... sort of, that will be explained in future chapters. So enjoy.**

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I stood in a dressing room with a bunch of girls again, this time we were auditioning for parts. All of them seemed to be more interested in their looks instead of their voices. I practiced my selection in some corner, the musical in question was _Jesus Christ Superstar._ I took Maestro's advice and didn't go out for a lead role, so I decided join the choir. I sang quietly and used my hand as a pitch and beat montior. Until one of the girls approached me. "Hi!"

I looked at her, her smile was so bright and so warm I just had to smile back. "Hello," I said and turned back to my script.

"I'm Megan," she said and extended her hand. "I'm going out for the choir."

She was pretty, in a cute, plucky sort of way. She had curly (permed) brown hair, freckles splashed across her face, and she had dark golden eyes. I smiled and took her hand, shaking it firmly. "Celeste, me too," I said.

"Oh cool!" she said extatically. "We'll be seeing a lot of each other than."

"Miss Desta?" Mrs. Girvan, the conductor, called.

"Yes?" I called back.

"You're on in 5," she said before exitting.

I sighed and turned to my script humming and flicking my wrist. "Mind if I watch you?" Megan asked.

I looked at her nervously. "The conductor's my aunt, she'll let me watch," she continued. "And I'm after you anyway."

I sighed in defeat. "Alright, if you want," I said heading for the door.

"I want!" Megan replied, skipping after me.

I walked onto the stage while Megan went to the nearest seat next to her aunt. I gulped waiting for a signal. "I'M HEEEEERRRRRE!" an obnoxiously, girlish, and bi-atchy voice called.

I turned and saw a wavy blonde-haired, blue-eyed, obviously spray-tanned girl. "I'm sorry I'm late, my manicure took longer than I thought, those idiots didn't know the difference between a mani-pedi and a nose job," she continued.

"Miss Diamond, I'm afraid you don't go on until after Miss Desta," Mrs. Girvan said.

She looked me up and down and gave an 'are you joking' smirk. I rose my eyebrow at her then turned to Megan who was also glaring at her. "Whatever, I'm going to be the star anyway, like I always am," she said and strutted off the stage.

_That's right keep walking you self-centered, narcistic, bitch, _I thought.

"Oh and just so you know, I'll be auditioning for Mary," she said before entering the dressing room.

Now ther are some things in my life that I can't control. Like the fact that I'm going to have to work with a Paris Hilton wannabe. But this is the one thing that I really wish I could and that is my competitive nature. And when she said those words, well, how could I resist? "Alright, Miss Desta, sorry for the interuption, who are you auditioning for?" Mrs. Girvan asked.

I looked to the dressing room, then at Megan, then at her and gave a sly smirk. "I'll be auditioning for the role of Mary."

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I walked off the stage and Megan rushed to me. "What was that?!" she asked in a distressed voice. "I thought you were auditioning for the chorus!"

"I was," I said in an equally distressed voice.

"Then what happened?" she asked again.

I looked at the dressing room doors and sighed. "Oh Charlotte," Megan said and shook her head.

"Who?" I asked.

"Charlotte Diamond, the girl who barged in," she explained.

"Uh-huh," I said.

"She gets under everyone's skin in different ways," she continued.

I nodded and headed towards the dressing room doors. "But on the bright side, you were amazing, I can't believe you were going out for the choir in the first place!" Megan cried as we entered the dressing room.

The girls that were closest to the door (who might I add had eyes that were bugging out) turned away from us and went back to their primping. I rolled my eyes and shut the door behind us, just as the Paris Hilton wannabe strode up to me from a pack of her infamous singer/actress acolytes. "So you're the new girl," she said.

I shrugged. "Whatever," I said non-chalantly.

Charolette smirked. "I just wanted to say, I'm so sorry," she said with a sickeningly innocent voice.

"For interrupting my audition?" I asked. "That's ok, I was expecting an apology for that anyway."

"Oh I don't care about that," she said flipping her hair back like a supermodel. "I'm sorry that your hopes are going to be crushed and on your first try," she said and did this stupid puppy-dog pout.

I rose my eyebrow at her and crossed my arms over my chest. "And I suppose you're the one that's going to crush them?" I asked, challenging her ability to overcome me.

"Well yes," Charolette said. "You're new so, here's your first lesson; I have been the star in every production, in every theater of this scummy city and if anyone gets in my way I'll make sure they're put in their place."

"Well, thanks for the lesson," I said and pushed past her. "But here's yours, I won't step down, I won't take orders, and I won't take crap from a snotty, bitchy, anorexic, supermodel who thinks the world is going to do what she wants, cuz like it or not sista, it won't."

I stalked away from her, Megan trailing behind. "Oh my God, I can't believe you said that to her," Megan whispered as we sat at our mirrors. "No one, ever talks to Charolette Diamond like that."

"Why, the girl's a bitch, I'd've thought one of the chorus boys would've told her that before," I said and giggled at my own sharp tongue.

Megan grinned as well. "No, she funds or I mean her family funds almost all of the theaters on the block," she explained. "If we don't make her parents happy, well then we get no funds."

"Ah," I said.

So it was a 'I scratch your back, you scratch mine' deal. Their daughter would be the star of every show and the theater wouldn't bankrupt. I sighed.

*****************************************

The auditions continued uninterrupted. I was forced to listen to little-miss-debutante with Megan... she was terribly flat, I found that out right away, whoever was teaching her needed to tell her, her voice just wasn't meant to sing. Megan was pretty good, I couldn't believe she was going out for the chorus. Then the dreaded wait inbetween auditions and parts. The next day the final tallies were posted on the door. Megan and I held hands and marched to the door. "I can't look you do it for me," Megan said.

"Why me, I went out for one of the biggest parts?!" I protested.

"But you're braver," she pointed out.

I sighed with resignition and looked at the list. First I found Megan's part: chorus girl/merchant. "Chorus girl slash merchant," I said.

"Yay, I got two parts!" Megan squeeled with delight.

I looked at my listing and was immediately shot down. Celeste Desta: Mary(Charolette)'s understudy/chorus girl/merchant

I groaned in defeat and turned away from the door. "Hey, come on 'C' it's not that bad!" Megan called. "No one's ever been her understudy, ever!"

I shook my head and groaned again. "Where are you going?!" she called again.

"I need to be alone!" I called back to her.

I made a few turns before finding my theater. I went in through my usual entrance. "Maestro!" I called.

There was no answer, not even after I waited the usual 2 minutes. "Maestro!" I shouted again, more insistantly this time.

Still nothing and I could feel I was utterly alone. Tears came to my eyes. Even Maestro decided to bale on me. I went over to the piano and layed my head on the keys letting the off tune sound resonate throughout the building. I picked my head up from the piano and started to play a song. The notes started to strike chords in me and I started to sing:

_Someday,  
__when we are wiser.  
__When the world's older.  
When we have learned.  
I pray,  
someday we may yet live,  
to live and let live._

_Someday,  
life will be fairer.  
Need will be rarer.  
And greed will not pay._

_Godspeed,  
this fine millenium on it's way.  
Let me come someday._

I heard clapping again and I gasped and spun to look at the opposite side of the stage. There was a dark spot over there, but it wasn't frightening, not to me. I knew it was Maestro and if he were solid I'd rush to hug him. "Maestro?" I asked uncertainly.

"Who else, Celeste?" he asked back. "But your angel, your teacher."

I sighed in relief. Those words struck a chord of familiarity in me, but I couldn't place it. "I thought you've left," I said getting up from the stool and the shadow taking my place. I felt a brush of soft cloth against my skin and I shivered with longing. "I would never leave you, I'll never leave you my angel," he said and started to play my notes. "How about we continue the song?"

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**Well there you have it, until next chapter and I promise, promise, promise to be more quick with my stories. But if you want me to go even faster, please comment.**


	4. Suspicions

**Alright, well this is the fourth chapter, this time I'm not giving up anything, you guys are going to have to read and find out for yourselves. Enjoy.**

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I told Maestro everything, then all I heard was thoughtful silence. "It doesn't matter now," he said.

I looked at the shadow with surprise. "All that matters is the music," he continued. "I've been to your theater, it was entirely unfair."

I heard his voice get rougher and harsher, I flinched away from the shadow. I felt warm, soothing carasses against my back and on my shoulders, as if invisible hands were trying to calm me. "Don't worry Celeste, they will hear you, I promise you," he whispered.

I sighed as the carasses ceased and I was left alone, not entirely. "Sing that song again, Celeste," Maestro said.

"Which one?" I asked.

"Outcasts," he said absently.

I nodded and stood from the stool and walked to the middle of the stage. "Where should I start?" I asked.

"The beginning, as always," he said.

I cleared my throat and sighed before opening my mouth...:

_I don't know if you can hear me  
or if you're even there.  
I don't know if you would listen  
to a street girl's prayer.  
Yes I know I'm just an outcast,  
I shouldn't speak to you.  
Still I see your face and wonder,  
weren't you once an outcast too?_

_God help the outcasts,  
hungry from birth.  
Show them the mercy  
they don't find on earth.  
God help my people,  
we look to you still.  
God help the outcasts  
or nobody will._

At some point Maestro started to strum the notes of the song and I hummed along until I thought I should come in.

_I ask for nothing,  
I can get by.  
But I know so many,  
less lucky than I.  
Please help my people,  
the poor and downtrod.  
I thought we all were  
the children of God._

_God help the outcasts,  
the children of... God!_

My voice resonated throughout the building and I sighed with pleasure and satisfaction. "Beautiful," was all he said. "Simply beautiful."

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The next day was the start of rehearsels, we mostly focused on the choir and small parts, so that we could buckle down and get to the more important and best for last. When it was Charolette's turn I started off the stage like the rest of the choir girls. "Not you Celeste, you have to stay up with Charolette," Mrs. Girvan explained.

I looked to her with confusion. "But it's not even my part," I said.

"Oh yes it is, your her understudy, therefore you must learn her parts as well," she said and sat down and I joined Charolette on stage.

"Now, let's start with Mary's solo," she said and gave Megan a signal.

Megan turned on the track and we sung. Of course, my voice was the clearest and loudest, and Charolette's was lacking. The combination of our voices wasn't pleasant, cuz on the one hand one was great and on the other was terrible, it's not a good comdination. "Stop, stop!" Mrs. Girvan called and Megan paused the track.

Charolette turned to me and glared. "Can you save your shriecking for the choir, when people can actually sing over you?" Charolette said.

At first my reaction was 'what the hell?!' I shook my head slowly at her. "Do you hear yourself, at all?!" I asked and stepped closer to her. "Your voice is as flat as a cutting board!"

Charolette put her hands on her hips and smirked at me. "You mean like your chest?" she asked.

My jaw dropped in amazement, I crossed my arms over my chest. "Oh and like your's is so amazing, here's a tip stop inflating them," I said with an exaggerated smile.

Now it was her turn to have her jaw drop... in outrage. I smiled and tilted my head childishly. "Girls, girls!" Mrs. Girvan called.

We turned to her and waited for the lecture. "Obviously this isn't working so we'll go one at a time," she continued. "Miss Diamond you'll go first."

I kept smiling as I walked off the stage then rolled my eyes as I caught her satisfied smirk. I joined Megan by the stereo system. "What a tone-deaf bitch," Megan whispered as she fiddled with the system's volume knob.

I grunted and watched the performance by the foot of the stage... Somewhere in the middle of the song I heard something cracking on the ceiling. I looked up and gasped. "Look out!" I called to Charolette, just as a sandbag came swinging to her head.

Suddenly it wasn't Charolette being hit... it was me. No, not me, not really. I was seeing it through another girl's point of view. I screamed as the bag pummeled me and crashed into a mirror and I crashed to the floor... that was when I blinked myself back to reality and rushed onto the stage with the others. "Augh!" Charlotte screamed.

At this point I would've laughed, but that vision I had sent me into shivers. "I can't believe this!" Charolette said, fake tears coming to her eyes.

She turned to me and I rose my eyebrow challenging her to go on. "Are you so desperate to take my part, that you'd kill me?" she asked putting a hand to her heart.

"Oh yes, that's why it fell, it was all my fault, I was so needy and desperate to have your part!" I said dramatically and added a drawn out gasp for good measure. "Oh please, you add new meaning to the name 'dumb-blonde'."

Megan and the other chorus girls started to move aside as Mrs. Girvan strode toward Charolette. "Miss Diamond are you alright?" she asked hurriedly.

"A sandbag smacked me in the head and you're asking me if I'm alright?!" Charolette shriecked.

"Hey she was trying to help!" Megan protested. "My God, you could've killed someone!" she called up to the stage crew.

"Sorry!" one of the guys called down. "I swear to God I don't know how that fell, no one's been up here since yesterday!"

Megan shook her head and looked back at Charolette. "Let's get this girl an icepack," she said to no one in particular.

"I'll go," I said and went to the back rooms where the kitchen was and the freezer.

It always struck me as odd to have a kitchen in a theater. I sighed as I took out the ice pack and headed back towards Charolette. Then I saw the door to the upstairs was open. I looked around to see if anyone had left it open by mistake. I looked at the stairs again and decided to investigate, Charolette's big head could wait. I climbed up the stairs to the balconies where the sandbag dropped. I gulped and looked around. The crew had reeled up the bag and had gone back down to check on little-miss-diva. I sighed and turned back to the stairs, not before seeing a suspicious (moving) shadow at the far end. I looked at it and squinted to look harder. Suddenly it jerked into action and went through another door. "Hey, wait!" I called.

I charged through the door and ended up in a dark, dusty attic of some sorts. "Wait!" I called again. "Who are you?!"

"Who are you yelling at?" Megan asked as she came through the door.

"I thought, there was," I stammered. "I-I thought I saw someone."

"Well, I don't see anything and if we don't get back downstairs, Charolette's going to be raving about it until next week," Megan continued and started toward the stairs.

I looked back up into the rafters and scanned them. "It's alright, you're welcome here," I whispered. "Please come to me, show yourself."

I shook my head and thought I couldn't get anymore crazier as I climbed down the stairs and to the dressing room, Charolette's ranting and raving the only thing to greet me.

****************************

**I must be really into this cuz here it is. Well that's it for this chapter until the next chapter. Once again please R&R.**


	5. New, yet Familiar Face

**Must really be into this now, because here's the next chapter. Things are starting to get very weird in Celeste's life, perhaps I can make it more weird. (Mwahahaha!) Anyways, enjoy.**

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The next day we had to paint sets, so everyone was in colorful smocks and had their hair tied up. Megan and I were painting Herod's palace walls, though in the 1973 version he only had a platform. I brushed a strand of hair out of my face and leaned back away from my work. Suddenly my eyes alighted on a man who was talking fervently to Mrs. Girvan. "Who's that?" I asked.

Megan looked at me then at the man. "Oh, I don't know his name, but I've heard he's going to be a potential new backer and patron," she said.

"Uh-huh," I said and leaned farther away to get a better look.

Megan followed my leaning and looked at the man then to me and raised her eyebrow at my faraway look or I assumed it was faraway.

***********************************

The rest of the day he watched our progress with the sets and the occasional vocal warm-ups (executed by me and Megan). But we also had to help out in the balconies, to make sure the sandbags were properly secured. I had to hoist Megan up, cuz frankly there was a problem with stableness of the balcony, or something of that nature, so only one of us could be on them. Everything was actually going well, until he came to watch our progress. I leaned over the side to get a better look at him and literally hoisted Megan to the ceiling. "Uh, um, 'C'?" Megan called.

I couldn't hear her, I was too focused on the strange familiarity of him. He was quite handsome, with his sandy hair tied back, his glittering gray-blue eyes, and he looked like he was in his late teens or early twenties. "Celeste?!" Megan called again. "CELESTE!!!"

"Huh?!" I said and my grip loosened on the rope.

Megan shriecked as she dropped. I managed to regain my grip and hoist her back up. "It okay, everything's cool, everything's fine," I said to those who saw.

I heard laughter on the stage and blushed as I saw it was him. I gulped and hid more in the shadows to hide my shame. Oddly enough I recognized that laughter, but sent chills down my spine at the sound of it. I gulped and concentrated on Megan. We finished in no time and after I said 'sorry' for the ten-thousanth time, Megan told me to stop. "I know you were getting an eyefull of that guy," she said and waggled her eyebrows at me.

I groaned and rolled my eyes. "You didn't take his eyes off him the whole day and you were bent on impressing him," she continued. "I can understand that, I've had my share of those kinds of crushes."

"It's more than that," I protested as we put our smocks away.

Megan looks at me with an incredulous look. "You think there's a connection?" she asked.

"I don't know, he hasn't looked at me directly the whole day," I said before turning and nearly crashing into him.

I looked up into his face and my heart nearly bursts from its pounding. I swallow and let out the breath that I hadn't realized I was holding in. He smiled (which was pretty shining and beautiful). He held out his hand to me. "Hello, we never properly introduced, I'm Erik Reltsed," he said.

I gulped again and took his hand. "C-Celeste Desta," I said.

We shook and held hands a little longer than would've been appropriate, we were too busy searching each others' eyes. Megan cleared her throat to snap me out of it. "Oh and um, this is Megan Girvan," I said turning to her.

"Ah yes, the girl who nearly dropped to her untimely death," Erik said and shook hands with her.

I started to stammer and stutter for an explaination. For some reason my tongue felt thick and swollen in my mouth. "I-I-I, um, m-my, my hands got a little sweaty," I said.

Erik smiled at me and I swallowed and tried to smile back. Megan looked between me and Erik and rolled her eyes and strolled away from us. "I better go, we have rehearsals," I said and started to walk away.

"I look forward to it," he said.

Megan rose her eyebrows at me as I joined her. "You mean we have rehearsals tomorrow," she said.

My jaw dropped and I smacked my forehead. "Ah man, I can't believe it and he probably knew too!" I whimpered.

Megan burst out laughing. "I've never seen you like this, what happened to tough girl 'C'?" she asked.

"I don't know, he, he brings something out in me," I said and looked back at him and my giddy smile dropped immediately as I saw him conversing with Charolette.

But he looked far from impressed. Which seemed very odd to me, wasn't she everything a man his age wanted?

Erik looked at me smiled and winked, once Charolette wasn't paying attention and immediately I was ceased with a terrible, wonderous urge to sing out. "Megan go to the piano and follow my lead please," I said.

She looked at Erik, then at me, then back. But she shrugged and did as she was told. I strode toward the mic and flicked it on, before singing once again:

_I know you,  
I've walked with you once upon a dream.  
I know you,  
the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam.  
I know it's true  
that visions are seldom all they seem.  
But if I know you,  
I know what you'll do,  
you'll love me at once.  
The way you did once upon a dream._

_Once upon a time,  
I dreamed we'd be together,  
in love forever.  
Once upon a night,  
I was wishing for a never,  
a never ending...  
Once upon a time.  
Once upon a night.  
Once upon a wish.  
Once upon a dream._

Megan followed my voice expertly and even threw in the harmony. Erik had broken away from Charolette and was watching from the edge corner of the stage.

_I know you,  
I've danced with you once upon a night.  
There we were,  
wishing this dance would last forever all time.  
I hope it's true,  
this vision is more than what it seems.  
Cuz if dreams come true,  
I know what we'll do.  
We'll dance once again  
the way we did then upon a dream._

_Once upon a time,  
I dreamed we'd together,  
in love forever.  
Once upon a night,  
I was wishing for a never,  
a never ending...  
Once upon a time.  
Once upon a night.  
Once upon a wish.  
Once upon a dream._

_Once upon a night,  
I was wishing for a never,  
a never ending...  
Once upon a time.  
Once upon a night.  
Once upon a wish.  
Once upon a love!_

_Once upon a dream._

I sighed and amazingly my breathing was very shallow and heavy. Megan clapped and so did Erik. "What the Hell was that?!" Charolette shriecked, stomping on the stage.

"I had the urge, I can't help it," I said with a smirk.

"Bravo, Miss Desta," Erik said. "I've never met someone who was so passionate about music."

Charolette rose her eyebrow at him and looked to me. "Thank you Mr. Reltsed," I said and nodded.

"Please Erik," he said.

"Erik, k," I said.

Charolette rolled her eyes at us and waltzed off. "Whatever," she muttered.

I smiled at Erik before turning to Megan. "That was amazing, what I don't understand is what was it about?" she asked.

"I don't know, I told you, he brings something out in me," I said.

Megan shook her head. "Well anyways, your voice is amazing how do you do it?" she asked.

"I've an amazing teacher," I said simply.

"Who?!" she continued.

"Don't know his name, I just call him Maestro," I said.

Speaking of him, I had to go see him and tell him all about this little fiasco. I went to the dressing room and picked up my bag. "Celeste," I heard his voice.

"Maestro?" I asked turning back to the room.

"Yes, go to the music supplies room I'll meet you there," he said.

I gulped and headed for the supply room. "Maestro?" I asked again.

"Celeste?"

"Did you see what happened today?" I asked uncertainly.

"It's quite alright angel, I'm sure he was quite impressed with your performance, I certainly was," he said.

I smiled and blushed at his compliment. "Soon New York will here you sing, will know your passion," he whispered.

"How?" I asked.

"Let me worry about the how, what matters to you is the music," he said again.

I sighed with resignition and we started on Mary's part again.


	6. The Horror Begins

**Here's the next chapter, Celeste starts to get a little closer to Maestro & Erik. Warning some matur content Gore/Violence.**

************************************

I sighed as Charolette sang her parts over and over and over. I rolled my eyes and flipped through my magazine. I had learned to bring earplugs to the rehearsals. Charolette stepped off the stage and I pulled out the plugs. "Your turn, amatuer," she said as she waltzed passed me.

I strolled up on the stage and joined my not-understudy co-star Ralph Desmond. Cute, nice, decent, nothing like the diva. We've actually started to become somewhat like friends. I sat next to him and waited for Mrs. Girvan's cue. "Thank God, I need a cure for my ear-ache," he whispered.

I smiled and shook my head. "Alright you two, let's go," Mrs. Girvan said.

I grabbed an ointment bottle. "_Try not to get worried, try not to turn on to problems that upset you. Don't you know everything's alright, yes everything's fine, and we want you to sleep well tonight. Let the world turn without you tonight. If we try we'll get by so forget all about us tonight."_

Suddenly Charolette screams echoe around the building. "What the fuck!!!" I shouted.

Everyone rushed off the stage and to the star's private dressing room. I was the first in and I slipped on something wet, sticky, and warm. Ralph caught me before I fell and pushed me up. "OH MY GOD!!!" Megan screamed and pointed to the closet.

I turned to it and blanched. "Holy shit," I whispered.

Dangling from the hooks in the closet, was one of the crew guys, literally stripped of his skin! Charolette cowered in a corner and stared bug-eyed at the scene. "Goll-ly," I said and walked closer, avoiding the pooling blood. "What happened?" Mrs. Girvan said calmly.

Charolette just shook her head and stammered repeatedly. And as much as I would've enjoyed watching the prima donna trip over her words for once, this was serious. "I'm going to call the police," Megan said.

I stopped at the body and looked him over. Who ever did this was a true artist, not a single piece untouched, not a single cut deeper than it should be. I gulped and tried to remove the body. "No, you shouldn't do that, let me," Ralph said and unhooked him easily.

I stepped back as he set him down and looked him over. I knelt next to him and swallowed the vomit coming up my throat. I've seen death before, way before I was old enough to even understand what death meant, but I've never seen anything like this. Only a psychopathic serial killer would think of something like this. "The cops are on their way," Megan said.

Mrs. Girvan and others were helping Charolette to get out of the corner and away from the scene. I followed but before I did, something caught the corner of my eye. I stooped to look deeper in the closet and scooped up a white rose stained in blood and tied around with a black ribbon. I narrowed my eyes, but I pocketed the rose inside my sleeve before anyone could see it.

**************************

I didn't see Maestro that night, frankly I was smart enough to stay away from abandoned theaters with a psycho on the loose. Everyone crowed on the stage the next morning, it was very noisey, all were talking about the incident yesterday. "Quiet please, everyone!" Mrs. Girvan called.

Everyone calmed down and waited for her to continue. "I have distressing news," she announced. "Miss Diamond has suffered a traumatic shock and I'm afraid she won't perform in the showings."

Everyone broke out in furious whispers and gasps of concern. "Then Celeste will have to take Charolette's place as custom dictates," a voice said from the corner.

We turned to Mr. Reltsed who had spoken. He smiled and nodded at me. "But I-," I said turning to Mrs. Girvan.

"No he's right Miss Desta, you're her understudy, you must take her place," she said.

Megan grabbed my arm excitedly and Ralph shook my shoulder vigorously. I looked to Erik and he winked at me. I smiled and nodded my head. "I'll do it."

****************************

I swallowed nervously as I dabbed on make-up and waited for my scene. I looked into the mirror, but I saw another face or part of it. I reached my hand out and pressed my fingers to the surface. Just as it appeared it vanished and my reflection was replaced. I gulped and walked out of the dressing room then just as I was setting foot on stage. I saw another mirror and I heard two voices one screaming another calling. "Christine, come back to me!!" it shouted.

I caught myself against a wall, the girl from my last vision she was pushing a candlabra stand and the mirror crashed as she screamed. I snapped out of it and shook my head. I took deep breaths to steady my nerves and walked on the stage with confidence, confidence that I didn't feel on the inside.

******************************

As days went on, my visions got longer and more frequent than ever, especially before, during, and after performances. Thankfully the ones during weren't that bad and were conviently placed. Sometimes I actually spoke when they came on. I didn't tell anyone about them, not even Maestro, even though he was the one "person" I poured my soul into. I hated the fact that I might possibly be going insane, but another thing was Maestro was starting to act weird as well. Our sessions were held mostly in my dressing room or the music supplies room. Soon enough we stopped going to the abandoned theater altogether. More than that he started to get more strict, less talk more song. Until I finally had enough. When I made it to the music supplies room my first greeting was... "You're late," Maestro said.

"Well thank you, after seven curtain calls you'd think you'd be more grateful," I mummled loud enough for him to hear.

At first there was silence, a never-ending silence. "You insolant, little child," he hissed.

My eyes widened and I waited for more. "You think, it was just you who were the success?" he growled. "Do you think it was just your voice out there!?"

I heard instruments crash to the ground, but I stayed calm. "Wrong, my angel," he said menacingly. "You love the music, you love your voice, I am the music, I am your voice!"

I lowered my head as his words continued. I could feel warm breath at my neck, but I didn't turn to see if there was something solid behind me. I felt a hand slowly grasp and caress my throat. I gulped and I was sure he could feel my pulse and how inconsistant it was. "Oh my angel," he continued, his voice was more gentle and quiet. "You'll see soon enough, you'll see."

Suddenly I was taken by another vision, this one I spoke. "_Are you going to kill me?" I asked or the girl asked. _

_"Everyone dies, I just choose a certain time and place for a few," said a voice, it sounded like Maestro._

_"When do you choose for me?" she asked again..._

I gasped and collapsed on the floor breathing heavily. I looked around me and I swallowed when I felt that I was alone. I sighed with relief, but I felt something. Guilt, relief, anxiety, a horrible, horrible longing to say I'm sorry, for what I didn't know. I sighed and shook my head. I picked up my bag and started to leave, but before I did, I turned to the empty room and sighed. "_I've living to see you. Dying to see you, but it shouldn't be like this. This was unexpected. What do I do now? Could we start again please? I've been very hopeful, so far. Now for the first time, I think we're going wrong. Hurry up and tell me, this is just a dream. Oh could we start again please?_"

I turned the knob and left knowing that Maestro had already forgiven me for the unknown purpose. That night I didn't sleep, I couldn't sleep. The fear of having dreams that meant something was too much. And frankly reality was better than my dreams.


	7. Hellfire

**Sorry it's been awhile just haven't had much inspiration. But here's the next chapter.**

* * *

He leaned against the wall and watched her go. The girl had a sharpened wit, an even sharper tongue. His first impression of the girl was that she resembled him in a few ways. Hard, untrusting, abused by the world, and searching for a way out. And he saw parts of... _her_ as well. Her voice (no doubt about that) might even be ten times better! Her beauty, though she hid it with normalcy and roughness. Most importantly, her passion for music. There could be no other girl in the world with the same passion nor the same look that _she_ had bared. When he was in the room with her, that same look of delight and fear crossed her face. One more thing that confirmed his theory were these random fits she seemed to go into.

She seemed to feel more and more uneasy around him. She seemed to get more and more testy when he pushed her. He wouldn't let this oppurtunity slip away from them. He wouldn't let her get away, not this time. She was so much more different from his Christine, more daring perhaps. That seemed to make her more beautiful. There was nothing more satisfying than to see a masterpiece pulled up from the gutter.

He watched her progress, her success, her happiness. Now he had to move onto step two. Winning her heart again. It was a hard thing to catch up to years of failure. Again he hit another snag. He could only be in his human body for a fixed amount of time. His physical form was growing stronger with each thought, everytime she sung, every desire for him. He could already feel his strength returning. Hopefully when he put his plan into action, he would be strong enough.

The mirrors around him only reflected, literally the shadow of a man, nothing more than a ghost. Still much more solid than he was before. Dear Celeste, he wondered what she would think when she saw him in his full glory. He chuckled, it only came out as whisper, but she seemed to hear him better than anyone else. Celeste, the girl with golden hair, sharp blue eyes, scars on pale skin... the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. He felt his almost blood pound with fire, with longing, with passion, with want. He wanted her, needed her, with a passion that set his veins on fire! Soon she would know this passion, this need, soon she would grow to love him, like he did.

She'd have to or this time... this time, she would be the one left in the fire, he would make sure of that...


End file.
